Learning critical elements of patient safety

Tubingen University Hospital, Germany:

Recognising that human factors underlie most medical errors, Tubingen University Hospital considers that Crisis Resource Management (CRM) training offers the most effective means to counteract the human factor threat, and that simulation provides the best tool to identify deficits in current practice, as well as implement training solutions to rehearse corrective measures.

Tubingen Centre for Patient Safety and Simulation (TuPASS) was established in 1998 and is located in a clinical environment at the University Hospital of Tubingen. TuPASS trains approximately 2,000 clinicians every year - a mix of students, healthcare professionals and staff, both internal and external from other hospitals.

The overarching principal of TuPASS is to increase the application of patient safety initiatives throughout the spectrum of healthcare services through simulation training.

One of the centre’s main purposes is to run national incident reporting systems and contribute to the analysis of critical incidents and research counter measures to reduce such incidents. TuPASS is currently running the German National Incident Reporting System (PaSOS) for the Anaesthesia Society.

Overcoming ‘human factors’

Recognising that human factors underlie most medical errors, Tubingen University Hospital considers that Crisis Resource Management (CRM) training offers the most effective means to counteract the human factor threat, and that simulation provides the best tool to identify deficits in current practice, as well as implement training solutions to rehearse corrective measures.

In addition to CRM training, other core training activities include Instructor Training across Europe (Train the Trainer courses), Competency Management, Protocol Training and Mobile in-situ training, the latter now accounting for 50% of their course delivery (eg. Air ambulance personnel). Clinical scenarios are carefully tailored to meet each participating group’s educational needs, and thus optimize the relevance of the simulation training given.

Sharing experiences

TuPASS actively participates in national and international networks to further develop and promote simulation as an effective and quality training method for today’s healthcare providers. Critical elements of patient safety can now be taught in a practical way, taking place in a safe, controlled environment, and where participants can be exposed to a variety of both rare and common clinical events with gradient levels of complexity, so that they can be better prepared for the real thing.

We simulate because simulation is the only effective method to learn critical elements of patient safety.